ENVOYS EXPECTED TO INTERVIEW MR MOLOTOV AGAIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 August 1948, Page 5

ENVOYS EXPECTED TO INTERVIEW MR MOLOTOV AGAIN

(Reed. Ip.m.) * LON ??, N ’M U , s “ St ! . 7 - Another talk befween the Western envoys and Mr Molotov is expected as soon as the envoys decide on their reaction to yesterday s meeting, says the British United Press correspondent at Moscow. The three envoys met at the United States Embassy this morning for discus-

sions. In London the three-man Berlin committee —Sir William Strang and the French and United States Ambassadors are studying Mr Frank Roberts’s report on the Kremlin meeting. The United States Ambassador, Mr Douglas, saw Mr Bevin this morning. A Foreign Office spokesman said no plans had been made for Mr Roberts to return to London from Moscow. In Berlin, Mr Kurt Swolinski, a German Democratic Party official, addressing a workers’ meeting, demanded that the Western Allies stand firm in the Moscow negotiations. Mr Swolinski said that just as Mr Roosevelt said before the war, “Stop Hiller now,’’ so the Western Allies should say today, “Stop Stalin now.’’

A British spokesman in Berlin said today that 11,000,000 American cigarettes and 17,000 pairs of shoes will be flown to the city at the week-end for Western Berliners.

The American-licensed newspaper Tagesspiegel claimed the Russians kidnapped three German engineers and charged them with espionage. The two engineers lived in the Western sectors under American. and French jurisdiction.

Crucial Talks

After their meeting last night at the Kremlin, none of the three Western envoys would give the slightest hint that, their sixth and longest talk with Mr Molotov —it lasted for 3 hours 40 minutes —had been any more conclusive than the previous five, but it is thought in London that this latest exchange of views must show decisively whether any purpose is to be gained by continuing the discussions. “There is every reason to believe that last night’s talk was crucial,” cays the diplomatic correspondent of the Daily Telegraph. “The Western envoys acted on what are believed to have been final instructions from their governments in answer to Mr Molotov’s proposals about Berlin and Germany generally. These instructions were received after they had seen Mr Molotov on Thursday. “The news that British Ministers

yesterday discussed plans for the slowing of releases from the armed forces is probably an indication that the international situation is not likely to be improved by the Moscow talks.” The diplomatic correspondent ol the Daily Herald says: “If the Moscow talks finally break down it will be because the Soviet Government’s real purpose is to oust the Western allies from all share in the control and administration of Berlin and that they wish lor no settlement on any other terms.”